Compare the two poems, Presents from my aunts in Pakistan and Essay exa

Compare the two poems, Presents from my aunts in Pakistan and Search for my tongue. Both poems shows people thinking about their roots and how each poem conveys their thoughts and feelings. In this essay I will be evaluating two poems from different cultures and traditions. Both poems 'Search for my tongue' and 'presents from my aunts in Pakistan' are about true identity and searching for your roots. 'Presents from my aunts in Pakistan' is mainly about a girl who is of mixed race and how she describes the gifts of clothes and jewellery sent to her in England by her Pakistani relatives. There is no rhyme scheme and the poem is written in free verse. Free verse simply means that the phrases are arranged loosely across the page. It is divided into stanzas of varying length. The girl contrasts the beautiful clothes and jewellery of India with English clothing. She describes how it feels like wearing the 'salwar kameez' and how she longed for denim and corduroy. She's drawn to the loveliness of the gifts but feels awkward wearing them because she is more comfortable in English clothes. The poem is full of associated, sometimes contrasting images. An example of a contrasting image is ' of no fixed nationality staring through fretwork in the Shalimar gardens.' Fretwork is basically decorative carving and the Shalimar gardens is an ornamental ark in Lahore, her hometown. The girl describes how life in England differs from life in Pakistan. She talks about the salwar kameez as 'alien' but wanting cardigans from Marks and Spencer's. The way the women live is somewhat different from that of England. For example her aunts were in shaded rooms, screened from male visitors whereas the women in England go o... ... left with. The speaker imagines herself there in Lahore - somewhere she has been only in her thoughts. However she is of no fixed nationality. This sounds a slightly threatening phrase. After thoroughly reading the poems, I have arrived at two main conclusions. Firstly it is important to know where one comes from, which is perhaps what the girl in the poem was lacking as a child and it is also important to know what has gone into one's making, even quite far back, I think it gives you a sense perhaps of richness. Secondly it is sometimes very difficult knowing two languages but having to neglect the one that belongs to you. One's mother tongue is an important link to your family and your childhood. Last but not least I agree deeply with the statement and I quote ' that's the deepest layer of my identity' which was said by Sujati Bhatt, the writer.